Bhubaneswar: Senior BJP leader and Union Petroleum and Natural Gas minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Sunday sought the cooperation of the Odisha government in bringing down the fuel prices.
“The Odisha government, which was collecting the annual tax revenue of about Rs 3000 crore from the fuel, is now collecting Rs 7000 crore. Now that the fuel price has gone up in the international market, it is the duty of the state government to bring down the fuel price by reducing the value-added tax (VAT),” he said.
On the proposed Stage-III plant of the Talcher Thermal Power Station (TTPS) by the National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC), the Union Minister said the Odisha government instead of showing apathy towards the project, should cooperate so that it would be able to get the power at a much cheaper price.
Stating that the state government is not showing its willingness for the TTPS-III on the pretext that it is obtaining power from NTPC’s Barh-I and II plants in Bihar at a higher price per unit, Dharmendra said if the state government feels that the cost is too high, it has the discretion to procure power from other sources. “The unwillingness of the state government for setting up the proposed project shows a lack of foresight,” he pointed out.
He also claimed that the letter written by the state Energy Minister Sustant Singh to Union Minister of State for Power and Renewable Energy Ram Kumar Singh, citing the high cost of the power tariff charged by the NTPC’s Barh-I and II plants, is misleading.
To a question on the recent expulsion of senior BJD leader Damodar Rout from the party by the Chief Minister, Dharmendra said Naveen was never serious about curbing corruption from the outset. “He is the leader who encourages the corrupt elements. Those who had made an attempt to unseat him are now his closest associates and decision-makers,” he added.
Reacting to the statement of the Union Minister, BJD spokesperson Pratap Deb said leaders like Damodar Rout have been changing their stand indulging in opportunistic and cynical politics. But the people of the state are aware of their game plan.
Referring to the letter of the Union minister of State for Power and Renewable Energy to the state Energy minister, he said the former has informed about the laying the foundation stone of the TTPS Stage-III project on September 17 prior to the visit of the Prime Minister to the state on September 22.
“Is this the modus operandi of a responsible government?” Deb asked.